Apparatus for playing card games



June 3, 1952 E, F, BURTON 2,598,969

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING CARD GAMES Filed Oct. 5, 1948 VOTES SENATORS FROM FROM ALABAMA 4ALABAMA FILIBUSTR ORGANISATION Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for playing an interesting card game involving an imaginary voting for oflicers of different political parties for diierent` territories. In its preferred form the invention provides for the playing of a game involving an imaginary voting for Senators and Representatives of the Democrat and Republican parties, for the States comprising'the United States of America, the number of Senators and Representatives elected for different States conforming to the practice inv this country. To increase the interest in the game the invention further provides for the imposition of a penalty by the holder of a particular card, such possesscr of the said card being assumed to haveantinational objects, and further provides for the cancellation of such penalty if the holder also possesses a certain other card. To further' increase the interest in the game, the invention also has in view to confer on the holder oi" a particular card or cards the power to exchange a predetermined number of his cards with cards already discarded by the players of the game.

The invention in its preferred form will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciiication, and wherein:

-Figure 1 is a View showing obverse and reverse faces of a card belonging to a votes pack of cards,

Figure 2 is a view showing obverse and reverse 'faces of a card belonging to a Senators pack of cards,

Figure 3 is a view showing obverse and reverse faces of a card belonging to a Representatives pack of cards,

Figure 4 is a view showing the obverse faces' of four auxiliary cards to be included in the' "votes pack, these cards having reverse faces identical to the reverse face of a card of the Votes pack (Figure 1) Figure 5 is a face view of a scoring pad, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a die and a shaking cup therefor.

The cards of the Votes pack (Figure l) are 48 in number and they differ only in that a different State of the United States is inscribed on each card. It is intended that the auxiliary cards of Figure 4 shall be inserted into the Votes pack so that there are 52 cards in all when the pack'is used.

The cards' of'the Senators pack also are ident ical tov one another except that a diiierent State is named on each card of the pack. There are 48 cards in the pack.

The cards of the Representatives pack differ from one another in that a diierent State is named on each card and in that the number of Representatives stated corresponds to the actual number of Representatives standing for the State named. f l

The die I shown in Figure 6 is a cube having the Democrat emblem, viz a donkey, depicted' on one face 2, and the Republican emblem, viz an elephant, depicted on another face 3, the

remaining four faces beingleft blank.

The scoring pad- (Figure 5) comprises a batch of tear-olf sheets, there being provided four of these pads for use by different players. Each sheet of the pad has a column 4 in which are inscribed one below another down the length of the column, the names of the States, these being arranged in alphabetical order. A second main column contained between the vertical lines 5y and 6 is for the entry of -voting points scored for the Democrat party, said space being subdivided by line I so that the voting points applicable to Senators and Representatives can be entered in the separate columns B and 9, the latter accordingly having the inscribed headings Senate and House For the same purpose the third main column contained between the lines E and I0 is subdivided by a line Il into columns I2 and I3, this third main column being for voting points scored for the Republican party. The remaining main column I4 is for the entry therein of the party points reading across the columns 8, 9, I2 and I3.

The rules for the play of the game are as follows:

1. The players proceed in turn to-shake the die I in the shaking cup I5. The first two throwing the same Party emblem (Democratdonkey, Republican-elephant) become partners representing that Party.

2. The first player to throw an emblem becomes the dealer, and partners sit facing each other.

3. The Senators pack and the Representatives pack are shuilled and placed in two piles in the centre of the table, face downwards. Hereinafter they are referred to as the Centre Packs.

4. The Votes pack is dealt (including the auxiliary cards), each player receiving 13 cards.`

5. The dealer draws 2 cards from the centre packs.V These may be one` Senators card' and one Representatives card, or two from the same pack. He then has 15 cards. The two cards just drawn from the centre packs will be Senators and/or Representatives seeking election. To be elected they need votes from their States. The dealer inspects his hand to see if he was dealt the required votes cards. If, for example, he was dealt Votes from Alabama and he has just drawn Senators from Alabama or Representatives from Alabama, he can elect them immediately to Congress. In this case:

(a) He places his Votes card face upwards on the table in front of him and the Senators or Representatives card on top, also face upwards. Players then know that the card not on top is missing and that this particular State has returned Senators or Representatives, but not both.

(b) If he has both Senators and Representatives from this State, he places his Votes card face upwards on top of them. Players then know that this particular State has completed its elections.

(c) If he has Senators or Representatives from two States, and the corresponding Votes cards, he places the cards as described'above;

According to whether he has been able to perform (a), (b) or (c), he will have placed on the table two, three or four cards. equivalent number from the centre packs, adds them to his hand (lays down any additional cards which this has made possible, and again draws from the centre packs, repeating until he cannot lay down any more cards) and passes on any two cards, face downwards, to the next player.

If none of the above moves was possible, he passes on any two cards to the next player.

Y6.V Player No. 2 now has 15 cards. The dealer may have passed on two useful cards so he looks to see if he can elect any Congressmen immediately (as described above). If this is possible, he does so, and takes an equivalent number of cards from the centre packs. If he is not able to elect any Congressmen (that is, if he has no Senators or Representatives from the same States as his Votes cards) he then has a choice:

(a) He can pass on two cards from his hand of 15 to the next player, or

(b) He can discard two cards, placing them face downwards, and then draw two more cards from the centre packs. This gives him 15 cards once more and he then passes on two to the next player, face downwards. He may not elect any Congressmen after discarding until the next time round.

7. Any player may, when it is his turn, law down any number of cards, each time taking an equivalent number from the centre packs. If these cards from the centre packs enable him to lay down more cards, he may do so. He may not lay down after discarding.

' Any player may, when it is his turn, add a Senators or a Representatives card, or both, to a State (or States) turned up by his partner. He then enters his own Party points on -the score pad, and all players record the actual number of Senators and Representatives as usual. According to the number of cards just laid down, the player draws from the centre packs. This gives him again his 15 cards and he passes on'two to the next player. v

8. The game is continued until packs have been exhausted. If only one card remains in the centre the player whose turn it is may discard one from his hand, take the one centre card and elect any Congressmen before lists are closed.

As regards the auxiliary cards (Figure 4) th He draws an t the centre Penalty card may have an inscription to the effect that the holder is assumed to be a member of an anti-American institution. The remaining auxiliary cards are entitled Vindication, Filibuster and Organisation. The use of these auxiliary cards is as follows:

(a) The Penalty card may not be discarded at any time; it may, however, be passed to the next player.

(b) The holder of the Filibuster card may hold up the game once at any time while he looks through the discarded pile. Holding up the game still further he may then, if he wishes, exchange four or less of the cards in his hand (of which one must be the Filibuster) for an equivalent number in the discarded pile. In any case he must exchange at least one card (the Filibuster). No other players may see the cards. This is the only'time in the whole game that the Filibuster card may be used. If the player holding the Filibuster card decides to use it when it is not his normal turn he must afterwards await that turn before laying down any cards.

(c) Possession of the Vindication card by the holder of the Penalty card removes penalties which the said holder would suffer.

(d) The holder of the Organisation card may use this card when it is his turn provided that he has already turned up on the table in front of him at least Senators or Representatives from two States; he has the right to use this card three times during the game if he wishes to do so. If he uses it he looks through the discarded pile and changes two of the cards for two in his hand, replacing the discarded pile face downwards on the table as before. He then continues to play in the usual way.

The Organisation card may be used only by the player to whom it was dealt; it may, however, be discarded after use in the normal run of the game.

The voting score values vare entered on the scoring pad (Figure 5) as the game proceeds, the totals being afterwards computed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for playing a card game, said apparatus comprising a first pack of playing cards of which each card is inscribed to represent a vote from a particular geographical territory, the territories varying in the case of dilerent cards, a second pack of playing cards of which each card is inscribed to denote oiiicers of one class to be elected for a particular territory, the territories varying in the case of different cards of said second pack, a third pack of playing cards 0f which each card is inscribed to denote oiiicers of a second class to be elected for a particular territory, the territory varying in the case of different cards of said third pack, they cards of the said rst, second and third packs having the same territory inscriptions, a party-determining device for manipulation by players of the game and' which consists of a die having one party inscription on one of its faces, a diierent party inscription o'n another face, and the remainder of its faces left blank, and a set of score sheets each of which sheets is divided into four principal columns, one of which columns contains printed inscriptions denoting different territories, said inscriptions being arranged one below another down the length of the column, printed inscriptions at the heads of the other columns denoting respectively different political parties `and party points to be scored in the playing of the game, each of the political party columns being subdivided into two secondary columns and printed inscriptions at the heads of said secondary columns pertaining to officers o f the rst and second class aforesaid.

2. Apparatus for playing a card game, accord- 5 ing to claim 1, including also a penalty card and a vindication card for insertion into the pack of vote cards, the vindioation card serving to cancel the penalty prescribed by said penalty card.

3. Apparatus for playing a card game according to claim 1, including also at least one auxiliary card bearing an inscription which is understood to authorise the holder of said card to inspect discarded cards and exchange them for cards already held by him, said auxiliary card being adapted for insertion into the pack of vote cards.

ELAINE F. BURTON.

6 REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 454,861 Gaddis, et al June 30, 1891 1,048,346 Ritzman Dec. 24, 1912 1,113,504 Steele Oct. 13, 1914 1,499,055 Fraim June 24, 1924 1,525,209 Soderquist Feb. 3, 1925 1,751,523 Morgan Mar. 25, 1930 1,780,878 Harris NOV. 4, 1930 1,982,534 Parker Nov. 27, 1934 .2,043,482 Lord June 9, 1936 2,148,102 Brumer Feb. 21, 1939 

